Women Researchers in Science – Journey to the Sea of Cortez Expedition

EXPEDITION: Women Researchers in Science – Journey to the Sea of Cortez

DATES: May 4th-13th, 2018

LOCATION: Sea of Cortez. Gulf of California

TRIP PRICE: $2995

Join Shark Research Institute researchers Jennifer Schmidt and Dave Grant on this liveaboard expedition to the Gulf of California, a collaboration with Tiburon Ballena Mexico. Our ship will depart La Paz for 10 days among the blue waters and red cliffs of the Sea of Cortez. We are targeting the very large and usually pregnant female whale sharks that frequent these waters. Why do these females come to this place, and where do they go when they leave? We know so little about whale shark breeding and reproduction. One of the goals of the week will be to perform ultrasound examinations of the females, with the hope of visualizing the embryos they carry!

We will also study the other sharks that live in the Gulf of California. Planned activities include catch and release tagging of silky and hammerhead sharks, mobula ray population studies, and visiting local fish markets to assess the species being harvested in the area. In our research “downtime” we will search for whales (humpback, Sei and fin), kayak into the mangroves, visit frigatebird breeding colonies, and snorkel with sea lions. There is also the possibility for an ultralight flight over the Sea of Cortez as you assist in scanning for whale sharks!

The trip price of $2995 is all-inclusive on the ship, but does not cover air travel to Cabo San Lucas, crew gratuity, one evening meal in La Paz, travel insurance or the cost of the ultralight flight.

Contact: For further details and to reserve a place on this incredible trip contact co-leader Jennifer Schmidt at jennifer@sharks.org.

The Shark Research Institute encourages college students and early career researchers to participate in this project and to seek credit and funding through their department; and suggests participants reach out to others for financial
support through social media.

For information about specific tasks and project objectives on the cruise, contact: Dave Grant – dgrant@sharks.org